From farm to county government and back again | News

From farm to county government and back again

After nearly 26 years serving Coweta County residents, Commissioner Paul Poole, 72, has decided to call it quits. He announced his retirement at the commission meeting last week.

Poole has served the county in numerous ways from the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, to the county Zoning Appeals Board to the commission.

Poole said it was his work with the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association that spurred him on into county politics. That and going through an agriculture leadership program sponsored by the Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Power got him interested in how government policies could help agriculture.

“They encourage you to get more involved,” Poole said. “So that kind of guided me a little bit.”

His first foray into politics was a run for county magistrate. He didn’t win.

“I was four out of four,” Poole said with a laugh.

But his interest in serving was noticed and he was appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals where he served from 1999 to 2005. On that board he heard variance and rezoning cases.

“It was a lot of responsibility because you know whatever you recommend, a lot of time, most of the time the commissioners go along with it,” Poole said.

Then in 2004, Commissioner Vernon “Mutt” Hunter told Poole he was not going to run for reelection and suggested that Poole run for the seat. Poole was skeptical. But he talked to some other people who encouraged him, and he decided to give it a try. Twenty years later, he’s glad he did.

Standing up for his priorities

Poole is from an agricultural background. He first came to Coweta County in the 1970s to help his uncle on the farm that he now owns. Back then, the county had lots of agriculture, but that is slowly dwindling as the…